Missy put on a confused expression and asked, “Why does that bring you here to see me, Mr. Marchitto?”
“Well, the law firm handling the estate … they somehow ran across the video tape from which that photo was taken. And, ah … there is concern that possibly you might yet wish to bring charges for … ah, well … Ramon took some liberties that day that were inappropriate. It’s not at all clear what your visit was about and if you were to bring any charges … especially now that he is deceased … well, let’s just say that I’ve been asked to discuss this matter with you.” Marchitto looked directly at Missy, hoping she might say something that would give him a direction to continue going with.
Missy knew he was fishing and that Sal probably wanted to know why she’d been to see Frank. “Well, I guess I can see how that might be a concern to whoever is handling the estate. Yes, I see. If I should sue, and perhaps even ask Mr. McCarthy to testify in my behalf? Would my claim have precedence over the government’s claim? If the court agreed that I’d been wronged, of course.”
Marchitto said, “Well, that’s really not at all clear right now. But, the firm handling the estate was concerned. In order to avoid any such issue, I’ve been authorized to offer you a small settlement. In exchange for your release of all claims, of course. Then, everything would be clear; no loose ends. I’m sure you can appreciate the firm’s position on this?”
Missy looked at him and nodded her head. Then she asked, “And, if I don’t agree to signing any release? What then?”
“Oh, well … err, that’s complicated, I’m afraid,” said Marchitto. “This incident might then become something more … how shall I put this? Questions might be raised concerning why you were associating with Mr. McCarthy. I can’t promise that your reputation might not then be tarnished …”
Missy laughed. “You mean, am I concerned about West Point learning I was there? Please … does that video show anything to suggest I was there as a hooker, propositioning Mr. McCarthy?”
Marchitto now wanted to press, just a little. “Oh, of course not, Cadet McCrea. I didn’t mean to suggest anything of that nature. Of course, it’s not exactly clear just why you were there visiting Mr. McCarthy, a known criminal. There’s mention in one report that you stated you had some matter to discuss concerning a Mr. Tony Gonzales, a friend of Mr. McCarthy’s?” He left that question hanging, hoping she’d provide an explanation.
Missy knew this was his real purpose -- finding out what she had going with Frank. She decided to use this visit as an opportunity to put Sal on notice. “Well, let’s see. I don’t believe you really have any information about my visit, do you? But, I’m guessing you have done some research all about me. So, I’m going to give you several possible scenarios, Ben. You don’t mind if I call you that, right? Oh … first, please turn off that tape recorder you’ve got going in your briefcase.”
When he merely stared at her, she just waited. She was still giving him her prim and proper behavior, very formal and military. But, she began to draw on her energy. Lately, she’d noticed how she could harness more and more of it. Finally, he nodded and opened up his briefcase and turned off the recorder.
Missy said, “First scenario, which Frank would actually support one hundred percent, if he were talking -- which, of course, he isn’t -- is that I was merely there to chit chat with him about his poor childhood buddy Tony. My connection is that I knew Tony because he was the stepfather to my best friend, Alice Morris. Your research surely shows all that, right? So, first scenario is I was riding around for several hours that night and Frank and I were reminiscing about Tony. I, of course, had already kicked the shit out of Ramon for feeling me up, but you must know that. There’s no evidence that you can prove that I did that to Ramon, by the way, so I’m not too worried. I know Frank won’t tell on me.” She smiled and gave him a moment to digest that.
Now for some fun. No more prim and proper -- Missy shifted her position and suddenly looked at Ben with a very sexy, sultry expression and lowered the tone of her voice an octave, sounding breathy and husky to go along with that. “Second scenario is that I was there, all dressed up like a schoolgirl because I figured Frank might be just like his buddy Tony. You do know about Tony’s proclivities, of course … for young girls? And, then I indeed seduced poor Frank. I was well paid but Frank was very satisfied -- I totally fucked his brains out and he definitely considered our little adventure worth every penny. Ahhh, but he’ll never tell you about any of that.” She laughed and the way Marchitto was staring at her was indeed fun to see. He had not expected anything like this from her.
Then, she continued in yet another tone of voice which now was quite hard, with some steel in it. “Third scenario, which no one will ever be able to prove, is that I actually was talking to Frank about all the evil things Tony had done. That, by the way, included trying to have me killed. Oh, yeah … first he had planned on raping me. That actually bothered me a lot more than Ramon’s grabbing my tits. So, I arranged to have Tony killed instead. Then, I stole all his money.”
Marchitto was clearly shocked at both this information and the matter of fact manner in which Missy was presenting him with it. He was also noticing the atmosphere in the room had changed. It felt charged with energy. “You … but …”
Missy interrupted him and went on. “Fourth scenario, which also cannot be proved, is that I was rather upset with Frank. He had his good friend Salvatore D’Amato -- your boss, Ben, when you’re not too busy screwing your mistress Minnie over in that nice Bronx penthouse apartment you’re paying for -- does your wife know about Ms. Rollinson?” She paused to enjoy the horrified expression on his face, and then continued. “Salvatore sent up some loaner guys to kill Tony’s wife for him and then a few years later, to kill Tony’s daughter Roseanne. I actually liked Roseanne, Ben. So, I explained to Frank how unhappy I was about that.”
Now Missy began harnessing her energy in earnest and the way Marchitto shifted uncomfortably, it was obvious he was experiencing an awareness that something was happening all around him.
“But, Ben. I see you’re wondering why I know all this stuff. Especially about you and Sal. Actually, about Sal’s entire organization.” Missy began letting her cat energy come rushing in, with gold sparkles in her eyes suddenly becoming very obvious. “It’s because I’m a witch. Do you believe in the supernatural, Ben?” She sent him a small energy pulse, which he definitely was taken aback by.
“You can’t prove that, of course. In fact, even if you could, I really doubt Sal will want to admit to the other four families there in New York that he has this witch that’s all pissed off at him. So, you know what? Just so I’ll continue to not bother him -- and, so far I have kept my distance, Ben -- I want you to tell Sal to do something for me. I’ll give him until the end of October. I want each of those girls he has collected -- for that shipment to Brunei? You know about that, right? I want each of those girls to be sent back home to their family. With enough set up in a little trust fund so they can go to college or hair dressing school or wherever they want. Let’s call it the Roseanne Trust Fund, okay? Just so they don’t end up in any harem over in Brunei or anywhere else. I don’t think they’d really like being sex slaves, do you?”
“Cadet McCrea! You can’t be serious!” Marchitto sputtered. “I don’t know where you’re getting your information …”
“Exactly my point, Ben,” snapped Missy. “And, I assure you … getting information isn’t all that I do. See, I’m not the type of witch that merely casts mamby-pamby spells and shit. No, I’m the type of witch who can get really pissed off and arrange for people to die mysterious deaths. In case your research didn’t yet turn this up, go check the news for that night I was with Frank to see if anything else interesting happened that night. You’ll find that a couple of guys Frank sometimes associated with met with an untimely end that same night. Luis and Jose, over in Boxford.” She noticed he recognized those names immediately. “Oh? I see you already heard about them. T
hat was my demonstration to Frank -- I was showing him just a few of my witchy powers.”
Marchitto now stared at Missy, with both confusion and amazement in his eyes.
Missy said, “First, I arranged for some large cat to kill those two guys and then their place burned to the ground, leaving them as crispy critters. I only mention this, Ben, since you can’t possibly connect me to those deaths. Even though I’m responsible for them, just as I’m responsible for poor Tony having his accident. Are you seeing a trend here? Piss off that witch Missy McCrea badly enough and you might die a horrible death. That’s why Frank leaves me alone. Tell Sal to take care of my little request and I’ll back off and leave him alone also. At least, until I learn he’s maybe doing something else that really pisses me off.”
Marchitto was still trying to process all this. Seeing her eyes and feeling that energy pulse she’d sent him was definitely making him extremely uncomfortable. He couldn’t move at all and just sat there, stunned. She claimed she was a witch? What the hell? Who was she? He indeed had researched her thoroughly and had a huge dossier on her. But, this? This was unbelievable.
“Oh, and Ben?” Missy asked. “I want you to know that if anything should happen to anyone in my family … anything that’s even the tiniest bit unpleasant? Well, I’ll be holding you personally responsible. You, Ben. You understand me?”
Marchitto was speechless. But, he nodded his head to acknowledge he understood.
“Tell Sal that I’ll be waiting to hear all about the Roseanne Trust Fund. Tell him he’d better not make me come out there to his place to see him about that. Can you do that, Ben?” Missy stood up and smiled. “Thanks for coming out today, Ben. I don’t get out all that much, you see. So, you’ve saved me from wasting one of my passes. Now I don’t have to explain all this to Salvatore. You be sure to do that for me. Just know that I’ll be watching, of course. I have my witchy ways you see.” Her eyes blazed and she looked down at him, still seated in his chair. She pushed out an energy pulse that was so strong it actually moved him and his chair back a foot. Then she turned and walked out, without a backward glance.
Marchitto slowly pulled himself together, gathered his briefcase and the photo she’d left behind, and slowly walked out. He was not looking forward to relating any of this to Sal. And, he doubted Sal was going to believe in anything supernatural. He had no idea how to convince Sal that Missy was a witch. Marchitto, however, was thoroughly convinced. He believed Missy was a witch, all right. He had absolutely no doubt about that at all.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Oct 2018
A week later, Missy wished Tracy luck and waved goodbye to her and John. Tracy had Walking Privileges and John was there visiting her once again. He’d been back once before since his Labor Day weekend visit and that had gone really well. But, Tracy was very nervous about this visit today. She had discussed things with Missy and had decided it was full disclosure time. Tracy needed to tell John she was a witch. And, all week long she’d been tormenting herself about that.
When Missy had returned to her room after meeting that lawyer, Marchitto, Tracy had already been there, waiting for her. Missy’s roommates had been out so the two of them had been able to talk freely. Tracy had noticed the big energy pulse and had rushed right over to find out what was going on. She had known that had to have been Missy, doing something. Missy, of course, had wanted to know how Tracy had even known about it. That had led to a discussion all about what witches could and couldn’t do, what they could feel happening in the world around them and various other witchy related matters, all to do with energy.
Missy still had so much to learn! Tracy had explained how Missy’s energy came from inside herself and how amazing she really was. Missy had more energy than any witch Tracy had ever heard of. Most witches, like Tracy herself, harnessed energy from outside themselves rather than from within. Earth, wind, water, light, fire … the sun, the moon, the atmosphere. All sources of huge amounts of energy which witches were able to tap into, harness and control. Being a witch was all about using energy. That was why they could sense other supernaturals and why they could sense whenever energy was being used.
Their conversation had covered some new ground for Missy. Apparently, witches could even reinforce one another, which was why they typically joined covens. A witch could magnify his or her power by drawing from other witches. Missy could relate to that -- she believed some of her power actually came from her bond with Mike.
Then, the conversation had changed to how Tracy felt about John. Tracy blurted out how deeply concerned she was -- she knew she couldn’t continue her relationship with John unless he was okay about her being a witch. And, she was well aware that he didn’t know anything at all about witches. Being insecure and inexperienced, Tracy had been driving herself crazy. John had become very important to her; she’d be absolutely devastated and heartbroken if they broke up.
Missy had reassured her. Whatever feelings John had for her would only increase. She had advised Tracy to actually demonstrate her powers. That’s what she’d done, after all. John had been very skeptical of her werecat claim until actually seeing her change into a cat. So, today Tracy was bravely venturing forth with John, very nervous about the show and tell that she had planned for him.
John was excited to see her and after saying goodbye to Missy, they headed off on the path along the road, walking south along the Hudson River. He had been writing email messages to her every day since they’d met and he knew he was slowly winning her heart. He really had never been drawn to any girl the way he was affected by Tracy, especially when actually in her presence like today. Writing to her had become a compulsion, sharing all his innermost thoughts about things -- his goals, his views, his own history and little tidbits about his everyday life. His writing also included several gently probing questions, seeking to learn whatever she was willing to share.
Being with her was so easy and at first they talked back and forth about things they’d already shared in their emails. Tracy had opened up to him quite a bit, responding to all his prying and probing -- she’d found him quite irresistible, as he typically asked things in a very humorous manner. So, being able to now discuss these topics they’d already written about was fun and exciting for them both. After awhile, however, John noticed their conversation was more one sided, with he being the one doing all the talking. Sensing how nervous she was today, he asked, “Is everything all right, Tracy? My crazy sister hasn’t said or done anything, has she?”
Tracy tried to relax and smiled. “No, Missy has been wonderful. Um … did you know she’s actually more than just a werecat?”
This caught John off guard as he hadn’t realized Missy had shared her secret with Tracy. Sure, he knew they were best friends but still … he laughed. “She told you about that, huh? I’m almost afraid to ask what else she’s been telling you. That’s a pretty big secret but Missy keeps a lot of secrets.”
Now Tracy laughed. “Oh, I know. Your sister is really something. And, I’m sure there’s a lot she’s not telling me. You know how protective she is, right? But, actually, I think she has a lot she hasn’t been telling you. For example, she is also a witch. That’s why she can heal and push out energy pulses the way she does.” She stared at John to see what his reaction would be to this news.
John said, “I don’t really claim to understand any part of what my sister is and what she can do. Does it really matter what labels you use? She’s unique, right?”
“Actually, she’s extremely rare. But, no, she’s not unique. Or, at least there are other werecats and other witches. I don’t know of any others who are both a witch and a Shifter, the way she is, but anything is possible. Right?”
Now John stopped to look at Tracy. They’d been walking for almost a mile and had reached a nice spot that looked out over the river, well away from the academy. He sensed this conversation was going somewhere and that he really needed to pay attention. “There are others? Other werecats? And,
witches? Tracy, you’re way ahead of me with this stuff. Missy hasn’t told me or anyone else in our family any of this, although we certainly do know anything is possible. Once I saw Missy Change that first time …”
“John, I’m a witch. I’m very different from your sister but, like her, I’m a supernatural. I hope you can accept that about me. I don’t want to keep any secrets from you. Not now … now that I … we …” Tracy had run out of words, having said all this in a rush, before she could change her mind. Now she waited for his reaction with baited breath. Her heart felt as though steel bands were wrapped around it, slowly squeezing and crushing the life right out of her.
John got it right away. He had no idea what her being a witch meant but he got that she had just opened herself up to him and it was really important that he reassure her. He didn’t hesitate at all but swept her into his arms and began kissing her. He crushed her up against himself and then slowly brought his hands up to each side of her face. After kissing her so thoroughly she couldn’t possibly doubt either his ardor or his passion, he broke away but continued holding her face with his hands. Staring into her eyes he said, “Tracy, I hope that answers your question … about my accepting who you are and what you are … but, if you need more convincing?” He slid his arms back down along her sides and held her close.
Tracy was overwhelmed, both with relief and with a lot of other feelings as well. John’s kiss made her body feel on fire and her heart was pounding in her chest. His immediate reaction, so quick and so absolute, filled her with happiness. Then, as she realized he actually was waiting for her to answer his question, she giggled. “Umm … I guess I don’t need more convincing. But, I sure would enjoy some more of that, John!”
Missy Goes to West Point Page 29